HM Treasury

Offshore Industry: Decommissioning

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost of decommissioning North Sea oil infrastructure; for what proportion of those costs the taxpayer will be liable; and what steps he plans to take to reduce those costs.

Jane Ellison: The Government believes in making the most of the UK’s oil and gas resources. The oil and gas industry has contributed around £330bn to the Exchequer to date, supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and supplies a large proportion of the UK’s primary energy needs. Decommissioning is an inherent cost of doing business in the UK Continental Shelf, as companies are required by law to decommission oil and gas infrastructure after production ceases. Estimates of the total cost of decommissioning vary, due to the complexity of work and long timeframes involved. HM Revenue and Customs’ Annual Report and Accounts 2014-15 estimates that, out of a total of £41bn decommissioning costs between 2015 and 2041, the Exchequer’s share is £16bn. This is due to repayments through decommissioning tax relief, which are only made if tax has been paid in the first place. The Government is committed to ensuring decommissioning programmes represent value for money, as this delivers benefits both to industry and the Exchequer. The Maximising Economic Recovery UK Strategy places an obligation on oil and gas licensees to decommission assets in the most cost-effective way, ensuring all viable options for the continued use of that infrastructure have been considered. The Government has given the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) a new remit to work with industry on cost reduction and delivery capability for decommissioning. The OGA also has a duty to advise the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the cost effectiveness of decommissioning programmes.

National Insurance Contributions: Children in Care

Michael Gove: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of abolishing employer National Insurance contributions for care leavers in 2016-17.

Jane Ellison: No estimate has been made of the cost of abolishing employer National Insurance contributions for care leavers. An estimate could only be produced at disproportionate cost.

Fossil Fuels: Tax Allowances

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the financial value to fossil fuel producers of tax allowances taken up in financial year 2015-16.

Jane Ellison: Estimates of the cost of tax reliefs claimed against Petroleum Revenue Tax and Offshore (North Sea) Corporation Tax, arising from the production and extraction of North Sea oil and gas from the UK and UK Continental Shelf, are presented in HM Revenue and Customs’ tax relief publication, in the following two tables (latest versions December 2016): Main reliefs:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/579720/Dec_16_Main_Reliefs_Final.pdf Minor reliefs:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/579993/Dec_16_Minor_Reliefs_Final.pdf

Fossil Fuels: Tax Allowances

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value is of the subsidies provided for the (a) production and (b) consumption of fossil fuels in the current financial year.

Jane Ellison: The Government does not provide subsidies to fossil fuel production or consumption. The UK’s oil and gas ring-fence regime means that profits from oil and gas production are taxed at a higher rate of 40%, compared to 20% for other sectors. The regime for oil and gas does include allowances, such as the Investment Allowance, which are designed to ensure otherwise economic developments are not uncommercial. This allows oil and gas companies to claim tax relief when making large, upfront investments in new infrastructure. Even where income is covered by an allowance, those companies continue to pay tax on their profits at a minimum rate of 30%.

Child Trust Fund

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost was of starting payment vouchers for child trust funds between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many child trust funds exist.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total cost has been of the child trust fund initiative.

Jane Ellison: Details of the value of Child Trust Fund vouchers issued to children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011 can be found at Table 2 of HM Revenue and Customs’ Child Trust Fund Statistical Report: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/255886/statistical-report.pdf A breakdown of the annual cost of Child Trust Fund government payments is provided at Table 6 of the same document. The Statistical Report shows that there were approximately 6.1m Child Trust Fund accounts at 5 April 2012.

Offshore Industry: Tax Yields

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of annual future tax revenues from the North Sea oil and gas industry up to 2030.

Jane Ellison: The forecasted Exchequer revenues up to 2021-22 (Offshore Corporation Tax and Petroleum Revenue Tax) arising from the production and extraction of North Sea oil and gas from the UK and UK Continental Shelf are presented in Table 4.6 of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR’s) Economic and Fiscal Outlook: November 2016: http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/Nov2016EFO.pdf The OBR will be publishing updated forecasts on 8 March 2017. Longer term estimates of revenues from the production and extraction of North Sea oil and gas were published as a supplementary table of the OBR’s Fiscal Sustainability Report: June 2015: http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/FSR_2015_Supplementary_Tables.xlsx It should be noted that the longer-term estimates are based on the March 2015 forecast and determinants.

Energy: Private Rented Housing

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) people and (b) businesses received the Landlord's Energy Saving Allowance in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Jane Ellison: Corporation TaxFor incorporated businesses, Landlord's Energy Saving Allowance is considered to be an allowable business expenditure and claimed as part of trading profit or loss calculations. Since corporation tax returns do not contain a breakdown of allowable business expenses, it is not possible to identify Landlord's Energy Saving Allowance claimed by incorporated property businesses from their tax returns. Income taxThe numbers of individuals/unincorporated businesses within the income tax self-assessment system who benefited from the Landlord's Energy Saving Allowance are as follows (rounded to the nearest 100). 2013-142014-156,1005,800

Income Tax: Overseas Workers

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received income tax exemption of foreign service allowance paid to Crown servants abroad in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Jane Ellison: The information is not held. HM Revenue and Customs bases its published relief values on expenditure amounts supplied by other Departments but does not collect information on the number of people receiving the allowances.

Premium Bonds: Tax Allowances

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received income tax exemption of premium bond prizes in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs publishes the estimated cost of the income tax exemption of Premium Bond prizes here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs.In 2013-14 and 2014-15 the cost of this exemption was estimated to be £130 million in each year. For this relief, estimates of the number of individuals benefitting are not held. The estimated costs are based on aggregate figures or assumptions.

Land Use: Tax Allowances

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses received Land Mediation Relief in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Jane Ellison: The number of businesses receiving tax relief through Land Remediation Relief was 1080 in 2013-14 and 1130 in 2014-15.

Arts: Tax Allowances

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses received animation tax relief in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses received video games tax relief in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses received theatre tax relief in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Jane Ellison: Tax relief was claimed for 15 animations with a financial year of completion of 2013-14. This is the first year in which animation tax relief was available. This increased to 25 claims for animations with a financial year of completion of 2014-15. Tax relief was claimed for 45 video games with a financial year of completion of 2014-15. This was the first year in which video games tax relief was available. Tax relief for video games expenditure was not available in 2013-14. The first Official Statistics on the number of claims and cost of theatre tax relief will be published in summer 2017, presenting information for 2014-15. Theatre tax relief was available from 1 September 2014, so no claims were possible for 2013-14.

Corporation Tax

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses received the life companies reduced rate of corporation tax on policy holders' fraction of profit in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is not held.

Double Taxation

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) people and (b) businesses received foreign tax credits and reliefs under the double taxation agreement for income and corporation tax in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

Jane Ellison: It is not possible to determine from tax return data whether claims for foreign tax credits and reliefs come under double taxation agreements, as opposed to unilateral relief claims.  Corporation TaxThe numbers of incorporated businesses claiming Double Taxation Relief for corporation tax are as follows (rounded to the nearest 100): 2013-14: 7,5002014-15: 7,700 Income TaxThe numbers of individuals/unincorporated businesses within the income tax self-assessment system, who benefited from reliefs claimed under Double Taxation Agreements between the UK and other countries and reliefs claimed because of other provisions of the relevant Double Taxation Agreements are as follows (rounded to the nearest 1,000): 2013-14: 419,0002014-15: 429,000

Community Development: Tax Allowances

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) people and (b) businesses received community investment tax relief in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs does not have information available on the number of people and businesses claiming Community Investment Tax Relief in 2013-14 and 2014-15. The cost of the scheme is estimated to be negligible in both of these years.

Enterprise Management Incentives: Tax Allowances

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) people and (b) businesses received national insurance contributions relief for Enterprise Management Incentives in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

Jane Ellison: The number of people that benefitted from National Insurance contributions relief through Enterprise Management Incentives in 2013-14 was approximately 5,000. The number of businesses that benefitted from National Insurance contributions relief through Enterprise Management Incentives in 2013-14 was approximately 1,120. The latest statistics on Enterprise Management Incentives can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/enterprise-management-incentives-share-option-schemes. Data for 2014-15 is not currently available.

Fossil Fuels: Subsidies

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the G20 Leaders' Communique made at the Hangzhou Summit in September 2016, whether the Government will participate in the fossil fuel subsidy peer review process.

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Declaration on global economic and political challenges made by the G7 leaders at the Ise-Shima Summit in May 2016, what progress the Government has made on its commitment to ending inefficient fossil fuel subsidies by 2025.

Jane Ellison: The Government supports the G20’s initiative to reform inefficient fossil fuel subsidies and has offered to be a peer reviewer. However we do not believe the UK is a suitable candidate for peer review under this process as we have no fossil fuel subsidies according to the definition adopted by the UK and other EU members of the G20.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: EU Law

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of (a) savings to UK consumers and (b) reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from the implementation of the Eco Design and Energy Product Directives in (i) each of the last three years and (ii) in each year up to 2030.

Jesse Norman: Estimates of the impact on energy bills of measures under the Ecodesign Directive and Energy Labelling Directive (referred to as “Products Policy”) are set out in Tables D1-D13 in Annex D here:http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/384404/Prices__Bills_report_2014.pdfEstimated UK emissions savings, including those due to Products Policy, are also published here in Annex D of the ‘Updated energy and emissions projections: 2015’:http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-energy-and-emissions-projections-2015The estimated emissions savings due to Products Policy measures agreed so far are presented in the “All, by sector” spreadsheet within Annex D.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: Pensions

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2017 to Question 59477, how differences in the age and gender profiles of members of the final salary pension scheme across the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority estate and public sector pension schemes have been accounted for in the equalities analysis referred to in that Answer.

Jesse Norman: High level analysis of the proposals on specific age profiles has been carried out and a full Equalities Analysis (EA) will be undertaken in order to comply in full with all of the requirements by the Public Sector Equality Duty, as set out in the Equality Act 2010. The EA will assess the equality impacts (including age and gender) of changes to two Nuclear Decommissioning Authority pension schemes which are in scope for public sector pension reform and will be taken into account by Government in finalising decisions. The EA will be published in due course.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund: Religion

Dame Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress his Department is making on supporting religious leaders to promote community cohesion and reconciliation through its Conflict, Security and Stability Fund; in which countries religious leaders are being supported by that fund; and which religious communities those leaders represent.

Alok Sharma: Through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) delivers projects to help prevent violent extremism, promote human rights, and support community peace-building in Africa, the Middle East, South and Central Asia and Eastern Europe. This includes working with religious leaders as well as other stakeholders. Separately, through the FCO's Magna Carta Fund, we fund various projects to support community cohesion and freedom of religion or belief across the world. Examples include: supporting human rights defenders in South Asia, promoting legal and social protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief in secondary school curricula in the Middle East and North Africa, and support for de-radicalisation and the re-integration of young people in Nigeria who have been exposed to violent extremist groups. In October 2016, the FCO hosted a groundbreaking conference to consider how protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief can help to combat violent extremism by building more inclusive societies. A range of faith leaders were invited to attend this event.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of Iranian compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was implemented on 16 January 2016: Iran placed two-thirds of its centrifuges in storage and dispensed with 98% of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium. For 10 years it will take Iran at least 12 months to produce enough fissile material for a weapon.Iran's recent ballistic missile test (29 January) was not a breach of the JCPoA, but is inconsistent with UNSCR 2231.The Government remains concerned about Iran's ballistic missile programme and we continue to urge Iran to abide by UN Security Council Resolution 2231; we are committed to ensuring that UN and EU sanctions which impose restrictions upon this programme continue to be robustly enforced.The Government remains concerned about Iran's destabilising activity in the region; we continue to encourage Iran to work constructively with its neighbours to resolve conflicts and promote stability.

Iran: Capital Punishment

Mrs Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Iranian Government condemning the use of the death penalty in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We regularly raise human rights with the Iranians at all levels and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues. The British Government is firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, including Iran. We have made clear to Iran our opposition to the use of the death penalty. I raised the death penalty during my visit to Tehran on 18 January 2017.

Islamic State: Military Intervention

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress has been made on steps to retake Mosul from Daesh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi announced on 23 January that East Mosul had been cleared of Daesh. Preparations are now underway for the next phase, clearing Daesh from West Mosul. We welcome progress made by Iraqi forces in Eastern Mosul which marks another step towards defeating Daesh. Clearing Daesh from Mosul, after two years of brutal rule, is the greatest challenge that Iraq's Security Forces have faced to date. We have always been clear that this is a fight that will take time and patience.

Libya: Russia

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on whether President Putin has endorsed support for Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar to be the future leader of the Libyan state.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK welcomes all diplomatic efforts, in support of reconciliation in Libya within the framework of the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) and the relevant UNSCRs. An inclusive political deal negotiated within the framework of the LPA is the best way of stabilising Libya but it is ultimately for Libyans to decide what is acceptable for them. We recognise that Khalifa Haftar has a role to play in the political process, but there can be no military solution. The LPA is clear on the need for civilian oversight of military structures.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the total pay bill was for (a) male and (b) female employees in his Department in 2015-16; and what the per capita spend from that pay bill for each man and woman was in that year.

Mr David Jones: Pay bill figures for men and women in each department can vary significantly based on representation at different grades and how many staff in the department are in full or part time work. A more meaningful way of considering existing pay disparities amongst men and women would be to look at each department’s gender pay gap. The Civil Service has been publishing mean and median gender pay gaps for each department since 2008 as part of the annual release of Civil Service Statistics by the Office for National Statistics. The latest gender pay gap data (published in October last year) can be found on the Office for National Statistics website:https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/civilservicestatistics/2016

Department for Exiting the European Union: Costs and Staff

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2017 to Question 61140, what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on consultancy costs in each financial year up to 2017-18.

Mr David Jones: The Department will continue to grow and use external consultancy support and recruitment as appropriate to ensure it has the right expertise to deliver its objectives. The additional funding announced in the Autumn Statement ensures that the Department will remain properly resourced.

Low Incomes: Brexit

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on low-income families.

Mr David Jones: This Government is determined to get the best deal for the whole of the UK and are clear that the benefits of that deal should apply to all UK citizens. At every step of this negotiation we will seek to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people, including low income families.

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will consult British expat communities living in other EU countries on the planned negotiation on the UK leaving the EU.

Mr David Jones: As part of our preparations for a smooth and orderly withdrawal we have engaged a range of stakeholders, including expatriate groups, to ensure we understand the priorities of UK nationals living in EU countries. We will continue to work closely with a range of organisations and individuals to achieve this.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Staff

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what proportion of his Department's employees are from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.

Mr David Jones: The Department for Exiting the European Union now has over 300 staff, and is growing fast. As the Department is currently recruiting a large number of staff we do not currently hold a full data set, but diversity data will be published in due course in line with Civil Service reporting requirements.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, what the total pay bill was for (a) male and (b) female employees in the Law Officers' Departments in 2015-16; and what the per capita spend from that pay bill for each man and woman was in that year.

Jeremy Wright: Total paybill for men and women in 2015/16 for the Law Officer’s Departments is as follows:2015/16MenWomenTotalAttorney General’s Office (AGO)£886,880£915,959£1,802,839Government Legal Department (GLD)£34,495,709£47,247,217£81,742,926Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) £901,144£663,854£1,564,998Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) £93,856,000£151,612,000£245,468,000Serious Fraud Office (SFO)£9,770,000£7,163,000£16,933,000 The per capita spend for each man and woman is as follows, based on the total full-time equivalent number of men and women averaged out over the year. 2015/16MenWomenAGO£58,463£46,900GLD£51,222£46,316HMCPSI£61,302£40,504CPS£41,200£35,200SFO £44,008£39,578 Pay bill figures for men and women in each department can vary significantly based on representation at different grades and how many staff in the department are in full or part time work. A more meaningful way of considering existing pay disparities amongst men and women would be to look at each department’s gender pay gap. The Civil Service has been publishing mean and median gender pay gaps for each department since 2008 as part of the annual release of Civil Service Statistics by the Office for National Statistics. The latest gender pay gap data (published in October earlier this year) can be found on the Office for National Statistics website.

Phil Shiner

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Attorney General, whether the CPS has made an assessment of the potential grounds for prosecuting Phil Shiner for the false allegations he made against members of the Armed Forces; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is not an investigative agency and has no power to investigate allegations of crime. The CPS will review any cases referred to it by the police or other investigators in accordance with the two stage test that is set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors. Where there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest, such cases will be prosecuted. Any criminal allegations would need to be reported to the relevant police force to investigate in the first instance.

Dangerous Driving: Sentencing

Jim Shannon: To ask the Attorney General, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the Government's consultation on sentences for dangerous driving.

Jeremy Wright: The Law Officers have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues and are sighted on a number of Government consultations where necessary. The consultation on sentences for dangerous driving closed on 1 February and the Law Officers will continue to be engaged in the development of the Government response.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the total pay bill was for (a) male and (b) female employees in her Department in 2015-16; and what the per capita spend from that pay bill for each man and woman was in that year.

James Wharton: DFID’s total staff costs for male and female employees in 2015/16 (including allowances/overtime/Employer Pension & NI Contributions) wereMaleFemale£69,860,590£75,791,655 Pay bill figures for men and women in each department can vary significantly based on representation at different grades and how many staff work full or part time.

Department for International Development: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many security passes into her Department are issued to people (a) not directly employed by and (b) who are not civil servants who work in her Department.

James Wharton: DFID security passes, subject to security checks, may be issued to individuals to support a business requirement to enter a DFID building. DFID’s electronic system records a security pass is valid but does not record information on employment status.

Developing Countries: Nutrition

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to improve nutrition outcomes for women and girls through her Department's water and sanitation programmes.

James Wharton: DFID is strengthening the nutrition outcomes of its water, sanitation and hygiene programmes by ensuring programmes target the specific needs of women and young children and by focusing on activities such as food preparation and storage, safe feeding for young children and handwashing with soap. These approaches will help to avert stunting, wasting and other forms of malnutrition.

Central African Republic: Humanitarian Aid

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps her Department has taken in response to the humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic; and if she will make a statement.

James Wharton: DFID remains concerned about the humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) with an estimated 50% of the population in need of humanitarian assistance. DFID has a three-year package of humanitarian support to CAR and refugees in Cameroon, enabling the UN and NGOs to provide healthcare, protection, food aid and support for livelihoods. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

Department for Education

Local Government Finance: West Sussex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of where in her Department's table of 151 local authority funding positions West Sussex will rank in each of the next three years.

Nick Gibb: Dedicated Schools Grant allocations for 2017-18 have been confirmed and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2017-to-2018. How much funding local authorities will receive in 2018-19 and 2019-20 is subject to the national funding formula, which is currently in its second stage of consultation. As a result of our proposals, in the first year, West Sussex would see an overall increase in schools funding of 1.9% and funding for high needs pupils would be protected at current funding levels. Illustrative allocations for the second year of the national funding formula have not been calculated, but by the time of full implementation of the formula, West Sussex schools would see gains of 3.5% overall.

Primary Education: Literacy

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the trends of the difference in attainment of phonics standards between boys and girls aged seven in England and Wales in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the trends of expected literacy levels for seven year olds in England and Wales in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Good literacy is the foundation for all achievement in education and critical for everyday life. We have strengthened the curriculum to focus on developing pupils’ reading and writing skills and placed a renewed focus on the requirement for pupils to be taught to read using systematic phonics. Since the introduction of the phonics check in 2012, 147,000 more six-year-olds are on track to becoming fluent readers. Almost 9 in 10 pupils (89%) who met the expected standard of phonics decoding in year 1 went on to reach the expected standard in reading at the end of Key Stage 1. A higher proportion of girls than boys meet the phonics standard at aged 7 – there is a gap of 4 percentage points in 2015 and 2016. The gap in 2013 and 2014 was 5 percentage points. Table 1 below shows the percentage of boys and girls aged 7 in state funded schools meeting the required standard in phonics decoding in each of the last four years. There was no test for 7 year olds in 2012. Table 1 Year 2 Phonics Screening Check ResultsBoysGirls2012N/AN/A201383%88%201486%91%201588%92%201689%93% The 2016 Key Stage 1 assessments were the first to reflect the new, more challenging National Curriculum. As a result, figures for 2016 are not comparable to those for earlier years. The 2016 Key Stage 1 reading and writing teacher assessments show that nearly 3 in 4 pupils (74%) achieved the new expected standard in reading and nearly 2 in 3 pupils (65%) achieved the new expected standard in writing. Table 2 below shows the percentage of pupils who achieved Level 2 or above under the previous assessment system in reading and writing in each of the last four years.Table 2 Key Stage 1 Reading Level 2 or aboveWriting Level 2 or above201287%83%201389%85%201490%86%201590%88%The Department is not responsible for education standards in Wales as this is a devolved matter.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 January 2017, on mental health, HCWS397, what the proposed timescale is for the programme of randomised control trials focusing on preventative mental health support in schools.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 January 2017, on mental illness, HCWS397, what preventative initiatives will be included in the programme of randomised control trials focusing on mental health in schools; and whether that programme will include school-based counselling in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) colleges and further education establishments.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 January 2017, on mental health, HCWS397, whether the programme of randomised control trials of preventative mental health support in schools will be tested in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) colleges and further education establishments.

Edward Timpson: Good mental health and wellbeing is a key priority for the Department. We have high aspirations for all children and young people and want them to be able to fulfil their potential. Counselling can play an important role in this, which is why we worked with experts to produce a blueprint for effective school-based counselling. We published an updated version of this advice last year. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/497825/Counselling_in_schools.pdf The Prime Minister announced last month that the Department would launch a programme of randomised control trials of preventative programmes across three different approaches to mental health promotion and prevention. We are currently working to procure contractors and plan to issue a prior information notice this month, followed by a call for expressions of interest in March, with the aim of having a final contract in place during May. The timetable for delivery will depend on each individual intervention trialled. We envisage the contract will cover a suite of programmes and approaches to be tested in both primary and secondary schools. We acknowledge that colleges and further education establishments play an important role in supporting young people with mental health issues. However, given the wish to focus on early prevention activity and the nature of the approaches we have been considering that to date we are currently not planning on trialling the interventions for older young people. However, our procurement approach for this programme will allow further trials to be added if needed. We will be giving further consideration to how to improve preventative activity as we develop the new green paper on children and young people’s mental health. There is already a large scale randomised control trial of school-based counselling underway: The ETHOS study, which is funded by the Economic & Social Research Council and led by the University of Roehampton. Department for Education officials are represented on the steering group to ensure it informs policy.

Foster Care: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children aged under 16 have been placed in long-term foster care placements in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire in each year since 2010; and how many children have been on the waiting list for such a placement in each of those years.

Edward Timpson: There were 310 children looked after at 31 March 2016 aged under 16 in a long-term foster placement in Nottinghamshire. This information is not available at constituency level and was collected for the first time in 2016.The number of children who are waiting for a long-term foster placement is not collected by the department.

GCSE

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce the attainment gaps of five A* to C GCSE grades between secondary schools in the North and the South; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: We are committed to ensuring that all children receive a high quality education, regardless of where they attend school. We are, therefore, spending £70 million over this Parliament to reduce the attainment gap, in line with the recommendations in Sir Nick Weller’s report.

Schools: Tynemouth

Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the school funding formula on the funding of schools in Tynemouth constituency in real terms in each of the next three years.

Nick Gibb: The current funding system does not support our aspiration that all children reach their full potential and succeed in adult life. Similar local areas and similar schools receive very different levels of funding, with little or no justification. Having consulted on the principles and building blocks earlier in 2016, we are now seeking views on the detail of the formula and the arrangements we propose for the transition towards the formula. The illustrative effect of the proposed schools national funding formula (NFF) for schools in the Tynemouth constituency, in year 1 of the operation of the formula, and overall, is provided in the table below. These figures are illustrative only and not actual allocations. The formula is subject to consultation, and the illustrative figures use pupil and school data from 2016-17 to show what would have happened to each school’s funding if the formula had been implemented in full in 2016-17. A school’s actual funding allocations for future years will reflect the latest data about a school and its pupils.Baseline fundingIllustrative NFF funding if formula implemented in full in 2016-17, without transitional protectionsIllustrative NFF funding in the first year of transitionSchool NamePhaseFunding the school received in 2016-17 or 2016/17Illustrative total NFF fundingPercentage change compared to baselineIllustrative NFF year 1 fundingPercentage change compared to baselineCullercoats Primary SchoolPrimary£1,408,000£1,440,0002.3%£1,440,0002.3%King Edward Primary SchoolPrimary£1,386,000£1,457,0005.1%£1,424,0002.8%Spring Gardens Primary SchoolPrimary£1,558,000£1,687,0008.3%£1,601,0002.8%Riverside Primary SchoolPrimary£817,000£796,000-2.5%£806,000-1.3%Monkhouse Primary SchoolPrimary£775,000£786,0001.4%£786,0001.4%Whitehouse Primary SchoolPrimary£741,000£752,0001.4%£752,0001.4%Preston Grange Primary SchoolPrimary£776,000£784,0001.0%£784,0001.0%Shiremoor Primary SchoolPrimary£1,292,000£1,395,0008.0%£1,326,0002.7%Backworth Park Primary SchoolPrimary£543,000£554,0001.9%£554,0001.9%Rockcliffe First SchoolPrimary£820,000£827,0000.8%£827,0000.8%Appletree Gardens First SchoolPrimary£1,010,000£1,051,0004.1%£1,036,0002.7%Southridge First SchoolPrimary£1,009,000£1,014,0000.5%£1,014,0000.5%South Wellfield First SchoolPrimary£1,037,000£1,080,0004.2%£1,064,0002.6%Marine Park First SchoolPrimary£1,684,000£1,728,0002.6%£1,727,0002.5%Coquet Park First SchoolPrimary£672,000£667,000-0.7%£667,000-0.7%Langley First SchoolPrimary£1,033,000£1,042,0000.9%£1,042,0000.9%Whitley Lodge First SchoolPrimary£822,000£816,000-0.7%£816,000-0.7%Collingwood Primary SchoolPrimary£1,372,000£1,478,0007.7%£1,409,0002.7%New York Primary SchoolPrimary£990,000£1,057,0006.8%£1,016,0002.6%Christ Church CofE Primary SchoolPrimary£777,000£802,0003.2%£797,0002.6%St Cuthberts Roman Catholic Primary School AidedPrimary£804,000£830,0003.2%£825,0002.6%St Josephs Roman Catholic Primary School AidedPrimary£1,218,000£1,323,0008.6%£1,251,0002.7%St Marys Roman Catholic Primary School AidedPrimary£736,000£717,000-2.6%£727,000-1.3%Star of the Sea RC VA PrimaryPrimary£1,352,000£1,391,0002.9%£1,389,0002.8%Kings Priory SchoolAll-through£4,516,000£4,383,000-2.9%£4,449,000-1.5%Marden High School - A Specialist Maths, Science and Media Arts CollegeSecondary£3,657,000£3,551,000-2.9%£3,604,000-1.4%Norham High SchoolSecondary£2,350,000£2,284,000-2.8%£2,317,000-1.4%Marden Bridge Middle SchoolSecondary Middle£1,886,000£1,854,000-1.7%£1,859,000-1.4%Valley Gardens Middle SchoolSecondary Middle£2,693,000£2,618,000-2.8%£2,655,000-1.4%Monkseaton Middle SchoolSecondary Middle£1,512,000£1,512,0000.0%£1,512,0000.0%Whitley Bay High SchoolSecondary£5,420,000£5,262,000-2.9%£5,341,000-1.5%Monkseaton High SchoolSecondary£1,845,000£1,795,000-2.7%£1,820,000-1.4%John Spence Community High SchoolSecondary£4,337,000£4,211,000-2.9%£4,274,000-1.5%St Thomas More Roman Catholic AcademySecondary£6,515,000£6,323,000-2.9%£6,419,000-1.5%Wellfield Middle SchoolSecondary Middle£1,269,000£1,240,000-2.3%£1,252,000-1.4%

Ministry of Justice

Written Questions: Government Responses

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she plans to answer Questions 56044 and 56045, tabled by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree on 1 December 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Question 56044 was answered on 16 Dec 2016 and 56045 was answered on 23 Dec 2016.

Birmingham Prison

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, at what time (a) G4S transferred control of HM Prison Birmingham to HM Prison Service and (b) authority over that prison was restored to G4S during the disturbance of 16 December 2016 at HM Prison Birmingham.

Mr Sam Gyimah: At 11:20 a.m., Gold Command was opened. At 2:30 p.m. sole responsibility for Gold Functions transferred to the Prison Service.Order was restored shortly after 10pm, at which point control was handed back to G4S. Throughout the day, regular cross-government calls took place to make necessary preparations and to ensure the Prison Service had all the support it needed.

Birmingham Prison

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many West Midlands police officers were deployed under authority of the incident Gold Commander (a) inside and (b) outside the  perimeter of HM Prison Birmingham during the disturbance of 16 December 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: This information is not held centrally. I would like to give thanks to West Midlands Police, who supported the Prison Service throughout the day, and to the ambulance crews and the fire service who also provided assistance.

Birmingham Prison

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Tornado team members were deployed to HM Prison Birmingham on 16 December 2016; and from which prisons they were so deployed.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Tornado teams consist of prison officers who are trained in an advanced level of control and restraint techniques, in addition to their core duties. NOMS has over 2000 such trained staff across the country. Tornado trained staff were deployed to HMP Birmingham to provide mutual aid in resolving the Concerted Indiscipline that took place on 16th December 2016 as detailed below in Table 1. A Tornado Unit consists of 14 staff - 12 trained staff plus 2 Commanders, meaning that 280 staff were deployed to HMP Birmingham to assist with resolution of this incident.  Table 1Tornado Team Deployments to HMP Birmingham by Establishment Sending Establishment Number of Units Requested   The Mount0.5  Littlehey0.5  Aylesbury0.5  Huntercombe0.5  Whitemoor0.5  Ranby0.5  Forest Bank0.5  Lindholme0.5  Rye Hill0.5  Oakwood0.5  Long Lartin0.5  Featherstone0.5  Hewell0.5  Brinsford0.5  Gartree0.5  Stafford0.5  Dovegate0.5  Glen Parva0.5  Onley0.5  Swinfen Hall0.5  Stoke Heath0.5  Nottingham0.5  Stocken0.5  Leicester0.5  Manchester0.5  Whatton0.5  Risley0.5  Doncaster0.5  Woodhill0.5  Bullingdon0.5  Lowdham Grange0.5  Peterborough0.5  Leeds0.5  Wealstun0.5  Styal0.5  Buckley Hall0.5  Preston0.5  Garth0.5  Wymott0.5  South West Region0.5 20

Maidstone Prison

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much of the budget for HM Prison Maidstone is spent on (a) prisoner education and (b) prisoners' access to leisure activities.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the budget is of HMP Maidstone for 2017-18; and how that budget is broken down.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The budget of HM Prison Maidstone for 2017-18 has not yet been set. Discussions on the prison’s Performance Agreement 2017-18 which will include its budget are due to conclude by 31 March 2017The budget of HM Prison Maidstone does not presently include provision for prisoner education as this is made through the central Offender Learning & Skills Service. In future that funding will be devolved to the prison under the changes proposed in the White Paper Prison Safety & Reform. In its present 2016-17 budget the prison has provision of 0.32% of the total budget for prisoner recreation.

Huntercombe Prison

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much of the budget of HM Prison Huntercombe is spent on (a) prisoner education and (b) prisoners' access to leisure activities.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the budget is of HM Prison Huntercombe for 2017-18; and how that budget is broken down.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The budget of HM Prison Huntercombe for 2017-18 has not yet been set. Discussions on the prison’s Performance Agreement 2017-18 which will include its budget are due to conclude by 31 March 2017. The budget of HM Prison Huntercombe does not presently include provision for prisoner education as this is made through the central Offender Learning & Skills Service. In future that funding will be devolved to the prison under the changes proposed in the White Paper Prison Safety & Reform. In its present 2016-17 budget the prison has provision of 0.15% of the total budget for prisoner recreation.

Prisoners: Suicide

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number of self-inflicted deaths in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of self-inflicted deaths in prisons in England and Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government publishes statistics on deaths in prison custody, including self-inflicted deaths, quarterly and updated detailed tables annually. They can be viewed on gov.uk.The Government believes that prisons should be places of safety and reform. The number of self-inflicted deaths is extremely concerning and we are committed to reducing it. Our recent White Paper set out specific steps that we are taking to improve safety. They include investing over £100m to recruit an additional 2,500 staff across the estate by the end of 2018.We will carefully study the details of all deaths in custody to determine whether there are any patterns, or lessons to be learned, to further our understanding of why these tragic events happen.We have also put in place a range of measures in place to help support prisoners who are at risk of self-harm or suicide, especially in the first 24 hours where prisoners are at their most vulnerable. We are also investing more in specialist mental health training for staff. The National Offender Management Service is also undertaking a suicide and self-harm reduction project, led by an experienced prison governor, which is driving work in this area.

Prisons: Security

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral contribution of 24 January 2017, Official Report, column 144, on prison staff, if she will assess the effect of the reduction in accommodation fabric checks on (a) the incidence of self-harm and (b) maintaining order and security in prisons; and whether the outcomes set out in Prison Service Instruction 28/2011 and Prison Service Instruction 09/2016 have been achieved.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Prisons employ a range of operational security measures aimed at keeping prisons safe and secure. Accommodation Fabric Checks (AFCs) support this by disrupting the ability of prisoners to store prohibited items in their cells either for their own purposes or on behalf of others. Each prison must assess the frequency of AFCs required to meet their own security and safety needs. Any reduction in the frequency of AFCs may be more effectively offset by targeted and intelligence led searches. There is no direct link between the frequency of AFCs and self-harm. Other than through ensuring the integrity of the cell, an AFC does not allow for any meaningful interaction between officer and prisoner. MoJ is investing an extra £100m annually to boost the frontline by 2,500 prison officers so that every prisoner will have a dedicated officer to support them. Not only will a greater officer presence provide a deterrence to prisoner behaviour that threatens the safe running of prisons but officers will be better able to pick up on any signs of vulnerability in the prisoners assigned to them.

Suicide

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has spent on investigations into self-inflicted deaths in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The table below shows how much the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has spent on investigations into self-inflicted deaths from 2010/11 to 2015/16. This covers the salary costs of managers, investigators, and administrative staff including interview transcribers, family liaison officers and fees for call-off investigators. It also includes travel and incidental expenses. Year Total2010-11 £1,444,3822011-12 £1,374,7442012-13 £1,409,1372013-14 £1,372,9052014-15 £1,371,5472015-16 £1,278,552  The Government believes that prisons should be places of safety and reform. It is concerned by the number of self-inflicted deaths and is committed to reducing it. The recent White Paper set out specific steps that we are taking to improve safety. They include investing over £100m to recruit an additional 2,500 staff across the estate by the end of 2018. The National Offender Management Service is undertaking a suicide and self-harm reduction project, led by an experienced prison governor, which is driving work in this area. The work includes implementing the recommendations of a review of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process, the multi-disciplinary case management process that is the main tool for managing prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm. This includes the roll out of new training that will help improve staff understanding of suicide and self-harm, including a module designed to raise awareness of mental health issues and to equip staff to respond appropriately to prisoners experiencing mental health problems.

Prisoners' Transfers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that familial relationships are maintained for prisoners that are transferred to prisons more than 100 miles away from their home; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The White Paper on Prison Safety and Reform set out the importance of strengthening family ties, which have a positive impact on a prisoner’s safety and wellbeing and maintaining links within the community. During induction, any support required to maintain or establish family contact is identified. In some establishments family engagement workers support prisoners and their families to help this process. Family days are held at most prisons where the family can spend time together in as normal an environment as possible. The Assisted Prison Visits Scheme is available to support eligible people who are struggling to meet the costs of visiting someone in prison. The Secretary of State commissioned Lord Farmer to investigate how supporting men in prison in England and Wales to engage with their families can reduce reoffending and assist in addressing intergenerational crime as part of the reform agenda. The report of the Farmer review is due to be published in the Spring of 2017.

Ministry of Justice: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total pay bill was for (a) male and (b) female employees in her Department in 2015-16; and what the per capita spend from that pay bill for each man and woman was in that year.

Mr Sam Gyimah: To provide the total pay bill by gender and the per capita spend for each man and woman for the 2015-16 financial year would incur disproportionate costs. Pay bill figures for men and women in each department can vary significantly based on representation at different grades and how many staff in the department are in full or part time work. A more meaningful way of considering existing pay disparities amongst men and women would be to look at each department’s gender pay gap. The Civil Service has been publishing mean and median gender pay gaps for each department since 2008 as part of the annual release of Civil Service Statistics by the Office for National Statistics. The latest gender pay gap data (published in October earlier this year) can be found on the Office for National Statistics website: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

Crime: Victims

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of breaches or failings of the Victims' Code have been received by her Department since 1 January 2017 by (a) text, (b) tweet, (c) e-mail and (d) letter.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We have made positive steps to improve the experience of victims, to reduce unnecessary stress and lessen the emotional turmoil of attending court. But we have been clear that more must be done. We will set out our strategy for victims within 12 months, and will bring forward any appropriate primary legislation. We are considering how compliance with the Victims’ Code might be improved and monitored. We are also exploring how those delivering services can be better held to account, and are developing plans to engage victims and victims’ groups for their views. The Ministry of Justice has no facility to receive text messages. A record of tweets sent to Ministers can be viewed on their public profile. Since the beginning of the year, there has been one letter from an MP whose constituents had concerns about the Code and wanted to share their experiences. We have also received, by email, a report from Voice4Victims.

Crime: Victims

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training is available for (a) police, (b) probation staff and (c) Crown Prosecution Service staff on the nature of and compliance with the Victims' Code.

Mr Sam Gyimah: It is important that we make sure criminal justice agency staff are appropriately trained to deliver victims their rights.The College of Policing sets and maintains national learning standards to support and drive national consistency in honouring the commitments of the Police service to the Victims’ Code. However Forces are autonomous as to ‘how’ training is delivered and undertaken locally. The College recently re-launched the Victims’ Code electronic package, available to all Police Officers and staff.Probation Service Officer and Probation Officer training includes e-learning about how victim issues and information should be addressed in parole reports and liaison between Victim Liaison Officers and Offender Managers in recall cases. Skills development training for Victim Liaison Officers was delivered between September 2014 and March 2016, focused on work with victims within the parameters of the Victim Contact Scheme.All CPS staff who attend court have been given a day’s worth of face to face training on the new Speaking to Witnesses at Court Guidance and how to interact with victims and witnesses at court without undermining the fairness of the trial. This is supported by a comprehensive package of e-learning, which barristers who appear for the CPS in court are expected to complete. In addition, all staff in CPS Victim Liaison Units are trained regarding timely and good quality communications to victims.We are considering how compliance with the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims’ Code) might be improved and monitored. Plans to engage with and obtain the views of victims and victims’ groups and criminal justice agencies are being developed

Ministry of Justice: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many security passes into her Department are issued to people (a) not directly employed by and (b) who are not civil servants who work in her Department.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total pay bill was for (a) male and (b) female employees in his Department in 2015-16; and what the per capita spend from that pay bill for each man and woman was in that year.

Mark Lancaster: The total pay bill for male and female civilian employees on the main payroll in the Ministry of Defence in Financial Year 2015-16, and the per capita spend from that pay bill for men and women is shown below:  Total Pay Bill (£ Million)Cost Per Capita (£K)Male1,33139.8Female62631.3 Pay bill figures for men and women in each Department can vary significantly based on representation at different grades and how many staff in the Department are in full or part time work. A more meaningful way of considering existing pay disparities amongst men and women would be to look at each Department's gender pay gap. The Civil Service has been publishing mean and median gender pay gaps for each department since 2008 as part of the annual release of Civil Service Statistics by the Office for National Statistics. The latest gender pay gap data (published in October 2016) can be found on the Office for National Statistics website at: www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/civilservicestatistics/2016

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2017 to Question 62363, whether the current draft of Joint Doctrine Publication 0-30.2, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, discusses the legal framework for the employment of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (a) within and (b) outside areas of armed conflict.

Harriett Baldwin: The current draft of Joint Doctrine Publication 0-30.2 Unmanned Aircraft Systems discusses the legal framework for the employment of remotely piloted air systems both within and outside areas of "armed conflict".

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made in contracting for the new mechanised infantry vehicles as outlined in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, Column 9161.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 February 2017 to Question 63162 to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones).



63162 - WQnA extract on Armoured Fighting Vehicles
(Word Document, 14.49 KB)

Ministry of Defence: Chief Scientific Advisers

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to fill the vacancy of Chief Scientific Adviser to his Department; and what the timetable is for advertising and filling that vacancy.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence's Chief Scientific Adviser post was advertised in 2016. After an extensive recruitment and selection process, a preferred candidate was identified. The appointment will be announced shortly.

Veterans: Northern Ireland

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the debate on the Armed Forces Covenant of 2 February 2017, HC column 1270, whether Operation Banner veterans in receipt of invitations to provide witness accounts will be refunded the cost of legal advice.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence provides free legal advice for Northern Ireland veterans facing allegations relating to their own conduct while on duty. The question of a refund should not therefore arise.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Football: Disability

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with the Premier League to ensure that football clubs not meeting disability access criteria make the necessary improvements.

Tracey Crouch: I meet representatives from the Premier League on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues including progress on the pledge made by Premier League clubs to make their grounds more accessible to disabled spectators. I have recently received the Premier League’s interim report on the progress made by Premier League clubs to meet their pledge on a number commitments to make the clubs’ stadia with accessibility standards by August 2017. Ensuring sport is inclusive and accessible for spectators remains a priority, and I want to continue to see concerted action taken by clubs to fulfil their legal obligations towards disabled supporters. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is the regulatory body responsible for enforcing the Equality Act 2010. The EHRC has powers to ensure service providers, including sports stadia, fulfil their legal obligations under the Act.

Football: Disability

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help improve disability access at Football League grounds.

Tracey Crouch: The English Football League (EFL) have set out a clear accessibility work plan which seeks to ensure a better matchday experience for disabled spectators. The EFL have committed to a programme of continual improvement in facilities, in conjunction with their clubs and Level Playing Field. The plan touches on all aspects of the matchday experience and is being implemented over the current season. Ensuring sport is inclusive and accessible for spectators remains a priority, and I want to continue to see concerted action taken by clubs to fulfil their legal obligations towards disabled supporters. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is the regulatory body responsible for enforcing the Equality Act 2010 The EHRC has powers to ensure service providers, including sports stadia, fulfil their legal obligations under the Act.

Sportsgrounds: Disability

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with sports governing bodies on improving disability access at sports stadia.

Tracey Crouch: Our Sports Strategy sends a clear message to all sports that sports stadia should provide an inclusive environment that welcomes all spectators. While the spotlight on accessibility is rightly on football, we want all sports to ensure they fulfil their legal obligations towards disabled fans. We will be looking to other sports to follow football’s example, to ensure disabled spectators receive the legal requirements that they are entitled to. Ensuring sport is inclusive and accessible for spectators remains a priority, and I want to continue to see concerted action taken by clubs to fulfil their legal obligations towards disabled supporters. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is the regulatory body responsible for enforcing the Equality Act 2010 The EHRC has powers to ensure service providers, including sports stadia, fulfil their legal obligations under the Act.

Digital Technology: Data Protection

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with representatives from the digital industries on data protection regulations since the UK's decision to leave the EU.

Matt Hancock: We have had widespread and ongoing discussions with the digital industry on Data Protection.

Digital Technology: UK Trade with EU

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations she has received on the implications for the UK continuing to access the Digital Single Market of the UK leaving the EU.

Matt Hancock: We have had widespread and ongoing discussions with the digital industry on Data Protection.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Shared Housing: Regulation

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to introduce regulatory proposals for bodies which manage shared accommodation in which vulnerable people are housed.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government understands the importance of protecting the most vulnerable in our society.Housing is regulated differently dependent on the form of support provided. Social housing provided by Housing Associations is regulated by the Homes and Communities Agency, registered Care Homes are inspected by the Care Quality Commission.Houses of Multiple Occupancy in the private rental sector are, where appropriate, licensed by the local authority, and we are proposing changes to widen mandatory licensing of large Houses of Multiple Occupancies.As part of our consultation on the future funding of supported housing, the Government is considering how further to improve oversight and assurance for vulnerable adults living in supported housing. As part of the Care and Quality Commission’s next phase of regulation consultation, the Care and Quality Commission is looking to make changes to its regulation of providers to use a more targeted, responsive and collaborative approach to meet the emerging new care models.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many security passes into his Department are issued to people (a) not directly employed by and (b) who are not civil servants who work in his Department.

Guto Bebb: 4 passes are issued to civil servants who are not directly employed by the Wales Office and 13 passes are issued to people who work in the Department but are not civil servants.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the total pay bill was for (a) male and (b) female employees in his Department in 2015-16; and what the per capita spend from that pay bill for each man and woman was in that year.

David Mundell: The total Scotland Office paybill for 2015/16 was £3,799,061 which can be split as follows: Male pay bill - £1,965,630; andFemale pay bill - £1,833,431. A per-capita spend breakdown during 2015/16 would only be available at disproportionate cost. Pay bill figures for men and women in each department can vary significantly based on representation at different grades and how many staff in the department are in full or part time work. A more meaningful way of considering existing pay disparities amongst men and women would be to look at each department’s gender pay gap. The Civil Service has been publishing mean and median gender pay gaps for each department since 2008 as part of the annual release of Civil Service Statistics by the Office for National Statistics. The latest gender pay gap data (published in October earlier this year) can be found on the Office for National Statistics website.

Scotland Office: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many security passes into his Department are issued to people (a) not directly employed by and (b) who are not civil servants who work in his Department.

David Mundell: Civil servants have to have the ability to work flexibly across Government sites where there is a business need to do so. The issuing of all passes is controlled by the local Departmental Security teams. Passes can also be issued to contractors or secondees based within Government premises on a case by case basis in regards to specific business needs. Numbers of passes issued directly to non-civil servants for access to departmental buildings will fluctuate over the course of a year.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the total pay bill was for (a) male and (b) female employees in his Department in 2015-16; and what the per capita spend from that pay bill for each man and woman was in that year.

Kris Hopkins: The total pay bill for the Northern Ireland Office in 2015-16 was: 2015-16MaleFemaleTotal Pay Bill£3,117,569£2,934,933Per Capita Pay Bill£52,177£39,706

Northern Ireland Office: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many security passes into his Department are issued to people (a) not directly employed by and (b) who are not civil servants who work in his Department.

Kris Hopkins: The Northern Ireland Office utilises shared facilities management in 1 Horse Guards Road which includes the control and issuing of security passes. For other locations the civil service status is not recorded when issuing passes. It is therefore not possible to give an accurate answer to the question.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the total pay bill was for (a) male and (b) female employees in his Department in 2015-16; and what the per capita spend from that pay bill for each man and woman was in that year.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade was not yet formed in the 2015-16 financial year and therefore this data is not available.The Civil Service has been publishing mean and median gender pay gaps for each department since 2008 as part of the annual release of Civil Service Statistics by the Office for National Statistics. The latest gender pay gap data (published in October earlier this year) can be found on the Office for National Statistics website. The Department for International Trade will contribute to the next release.

Fossil Fuels: Export Credit Guarantees

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what export credits the Government granted to fossil fuel projects in 2015-16.

Mark Garnier: UK Export Finance publishes details of the guarantees, insurance policies and loans it has issued on an annual basis. This includes a sector classification for the export supported. The list of UK Export Finance business supported in 2015-16 is published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-export-finance-business-supported-2015

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Birds: Conservation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect breeding habitats for woodcock.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Habitat improvement is a devolved matter. In England, measures are being taken to improve habitats through agri-environment schemes such as Countryside Stewardship, which provides incentives to manage woodland sympathetically for wildlife, which in turn will benefit woodcock.   Woodcock also benefit from England’s extensive network of protected sites for wildlife such as sites of special scientific interest.

Department of Health

Department of Health: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total pay bill was for (a) male and (b) female employees in his Department in 2015-16; and what the per capita spend from that pay bill for each man and woman was in that year.

David Mowat: The following table shows the total pay bill for male and female employees in the Department for the financial year 2015/16: MaleFemale31 March 2016 Total pay bill£51,083,305£62,161,68731 March 2016 Headcount (Full Time Equivalent)8181,099Spend per capita£62,464£56,581 Pay bill figures for men and women in each Department can vary significantly based on representation at different grades and how many staff in the Department are in full or part time work. A more meaningful way of considering existing pay disparities amongst men and women would be to look at each Department’s gender pay gap. The Civil Service has been publishing mean and median gender pay gaps for each Department since 2008 as part of the annual release of Civil Service Statistics by the Office for National Statistics. The latest gender pay gap data, published in October earlier this year, can be found on the Office for National Statistics website.

Cardiovascular System: Diseases

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the updated NICE guidelines on the diagnosis and management of peripheral arterial disease will be published.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a clinical guideline on the diagnosis and management of peripheral arterial disease in August 2012. NICE has recently reviewed the guideline and decided that a partial update is necessary to update the section on diagnosis. No timescale is yet available for the planned update.

Health Services: Directors

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in how many instances the Care Quality Commission has asked service providers to instigate fit and proper persons requirement (FPPR) investigations for each year since the FPPR came into force; and how many of those FPPR investigations resulted in a director being discharged from duty.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC has provided the following information: The following actions have been taken in relation to Regulation 5 Fit and Proper Persons Requirement: - CQC management reviews enable the CQC to reach a decision about the next course of action to take in response to a trigger for review, for example when we identify concerns around non-compliance with the regulations during an inspection, at the point of registration, or when we receive a safeguarding alert or concern. As at 8 February 2017 there have been 38 Adult Social Care (ASC), 14 Hospital, 5 Primary Medical Services and 37 Registration management reviews held regarding regulation 5. There have been 28 enforcement actions under this regulation: - 21 have been triggered by an enquiry, 16 of which were during the registration process. - Seven were triggered by an inspection, four at ASC locations and three at Hospital locations. - In seven cases registration was refused. In five cases registration was cancelled and in a further eight cases the providers were registered with agreed actions. The remainder included recommended fixed penalty notices, urgent and non-urgent imposition of conditions and warning notices.

Paula Vasco-Knight

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the Care Quality Commission closed its fit and proper persons requirement process on Paula Vasco-Knight, then Chief Executive of South Devon NHS Foundation Trust.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has advised that in October 2015 the CQC received information of concern regarding the appointment of Paula Vasco-Knight as Acting Chief Executive at St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. These concerns related to Paula Vasco-Knight’s conduct whilst she was Chief Executive at South Devon Foundation Trust. The CQC followed this up directly with the trust to review whether they had followed appropriate recruitment processes and carried out robust checks to determine Paula Vasco-Knight’s fitness prior to her employment. Based on the extensive evidence supplied by the trust and information provided separately from the Nursing and Midwifery Council the CQC concluded that the trust had not breached the fit and proper persons regulation at that time in relation to that appointment. The CQC informed the trust of this decision in February 2016 but reserved the right to reopen the case in light of any further information received. At the time of this decision, neither CQC nor the trust was aware of the fraud charges. In April 2016 CQC received new information that led it to re-open the case. In early May 2016 both CQC and St George’s became aware for the first time of the criminal investigation and fraud charges being brought against Paula Vasco-Knight. The CQC were subsequently asked by NHS Protect to put the case on hold pending their criminal investigation. St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust suspended Paula Vasco-Knight at this time. These are matters of public record.

Heart Diseases: Surgery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the NHS is taking to prevent technological faults in equipment used in heart operations from causing harm or fatality.

Nicola Blackwood: Medical devices cannot be placed on the market in the United Kingdom without being CE marked by the manufacturer in accordance with the safety, quality and performance requirements of the relevant EC Directives (Medical Device Directive, Active Implantable Medical Device Directive or In Vitro Diagnostic Directive). Medical devices used for heart operations, such as pacemakers, aortic valves, transcatheter aortic valve implantation and stents fall into the highest risk category and as such have to meet the most stringent regulatory requirements set out in the Directives. Conformity against these requirements has to be assessed and certified by a third party independent certification organisation known as a notified body, which is designated by EC member states regulatory authorities as competent to carry out this function.

Hypertension and Sepsis: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for availability on the NHS of a calcium channel blocker to tackle high blood pressure and sepsis.

Nicola Blackwood: Calcium channel blockers are a licensed treatment for high blood pressure (hypertension). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on ‘Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management’, published in 2011, recommends calcium channel blockers for use in the treatment of hypertension. NICE published a guideline on ‘Sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management’ in July 2016 which covers the recognition, diagnosis and early management of sepsis for all populations. The guideline did not include any recommendation to use calcium channel blockers in this condition. In the absence of NICE guidance on the use of a treatment, healthcare professionals will assess scientific research as it emerges but will only change treatment practice when this is supported by evidence.

Health Services: Directors

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, by what metrics the effectiveness of Regulation 5: Fit and proper persons: directors is measured; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: Regulation 5 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, The Fit and Proper Persons Requirement (FPPR) for Directors came into effect for National Health Service bodies on 27 November 2014 and was extended to cover all providers regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on 1 April 2015. The regulations include a requirement that they must be reviewed every five years, beginning five years after 1 April 2015. As yet the Department has not undertaken a review of regulation 5. Any such review would be completed with input from the CQC. The CQC has advised that it is the provider’s responsibility to ensure that all directors appointed are fit and proper for their role. The CQC’s responsibility is to check whether providers have the right systems and processes in place to assure themselves of fitness. The CQC has not yet conducted a thorough assessment of the regulations’ effectiveness. However, in the first years of implementation, the CQC has received feedback on how the regulation is applied, often driven by an assumption that it is CQC’s role to assess fitness directly rather than to assess providers’ systems and processes. In response to this feedback, the CQC has considered whether its current approach is in line with what can be reasonably expected of the CQC within the current regulations. The CQC has therefore begun a programme of work to improve its internal systems and processes for handling referrals under FPPR. There are three areas of CQC’s guidance and processes that it is strengthening: - Passing on all details of FPPR concerns raised with the CQC to providersPresently the CQC does not pass on all concerns raised with it to providers to ask for an explanation. Instead the CQC assesses whether there are concerns that a reasonable employer should be expected to investigate and if the CQC does not think there is a substantive concern it does not pass the material on. When the CQC does share concerns, it initially summarises the information and will later send on the full material if requested. CQC’s intention is to change both of these steps so providers are notified of all concerns and receive all of the information immediately. The CQC will set out more clearly the type of investigation it expects providers to undertake, following notification.  - Interpretation of “serious mismanagement” CQC believes there would be benefit in developing a clearer understanding of what type of behaviour constitutes ‘serious management’. The CQC has prepared some draft guidance that characterises serious mismanagement and will shortly be publishing this for consultation. The CQC will develop the finalised draft into internal and external guidance as to how it interprets and applies this element of the regulation.  - The way CQC manages and records information regarding FPPR It is recognised internally that CQC needs to improve the data available to itself about CQC’s application of FPPR. The CQC is developing an approach to better enable it to track the volume of FPPR concerns shared with CQC by sector and the actions that result from these. The CQC aims that, by undertaking the programme of improvements described above, CQC will be better placed to monitor the effectiveness of Regulation 5: Fit and Proper Persons in future.